546 – October 25-31
The National Unity Party expects to fare "far better" on November 7 than in the 1990 election, when it won just 10 constituencies, a senior official told The Myanmar Times last week.
More than 3000 candidates will stand for Myanmar's November 7 elections, in which 29 million citizens will be eligible to cast votes, officials from the Union Election Commission said last week.
Preparing the economy for the introduction of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is one of the major challenges awaiting the new govenment, business sources said last week.
In Pazundaung township, a middle class neigbourhood in downtown Yangon, a loud voice can be heard being projected through an electronic megaphone.
We squat on the boat in the rain, holding our umbrellas tightly. The red creeper known as kyee-ar-thee and the branches of the banyan trees bend in the wind, nearly touching the surface of the water.
The Union Election Commission chairman said last week the commission treated all parties equally and would take action against those who broke election regulations.
Ma Thu Han, 22, came to Yangon three months ago to find a job after graduating from Pathein Technological University. Like many before her, she moved into the Hledan area of Kamaryut township, where hundreds of dormitories cater for hopeful young job seekers and students who have left their hometowns for the bright lights of Yangon.
545 – October 18-24
Political parties set aside their election campaign activities to help victims of the record-breaking floods that inundated townships around Mandalay last week.
A Pyithu Hluttaw candidate running under the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) banner in Pazundaung went door to door last week to greet residents and drum up votes for the November 7 election.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) unveiled more than 450 temporary billboards in townships in Yangon Region last week, according to a senior party official.
The sole Wunthanu NLD (Union of Myanmar) candidate outside Mandalay Region kicked off his election campaign last week, distributing about 17,000 pamphlets to residents in Yangon’s Kyauktada township.
Political analysts have called on parties to reconsider the use of traditional organisational structures after a democratic political grouping was wracked by infighting within two weeks of its formation.
Two candidates in Mandalay last week participated in what is thought to be the first public debate of the election. Held at the Democratic Party (Myanmar) office in front of journalists and members of the public on October 8, the friendly encounter saw Democratic Party candidate Dr Tin Maung Tun and independent U Phyo Wai Thet question each other on policy.
Independent candidates standing for election in urban areas said last week they are finding it difficult to lease venues for public speeches and events.
Two prominent networks of independent candidates are in discussions to “work together” both before and after the November 7 election, a leading politician said last week.
“This is a Sunday morning,” says U Tint Naing, a Democratic Party (Myanmar) candidate, as he glances up at a line of apartment buildings in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township. “Not many people will be awake.”
A fledgling political grouping of democratic parties has been rocked by the resignation of at least two of its six members after a disagreement over funding.
544 – October 11-17
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) will “definitely” win this year’s election, a senior party official has declared one month ahead of the November 7 poll.
The National Democratic Force (NDF) and Union Democratic Party (UDP) both opened branch offices in Bago on October 7, five days after they and four other parties formed a democratic friendship group.
After months of speculation, six political parties last week formally established a multi-ethnic “Democratic Friendship Group” and declared they were ready to take on their two larger pro-establishment opponents.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) pledged to practise multi-party democracy and market-oriented economics, state media reported on October 9. - AFP
The Department of Corrections could release as many as 11,000 prisoners in the lead up to the November 7 election, a department official said last week.
More than 30 members of the Yangon-based 88 Generation Students Youths (Union of Myanmar) hit the campaign trail last week, distributing party pamphlets and candidate profile forms in Sanchaung township.
Government staff and migrant workers in Nay Pyi Taw are being issued temporary identity cards to enable them to vote in Nay Pyi Taw constituencies at next month’s general election, a senior official from the Ministry of Immigration and Population said last week.
Many professional associations have amended their constitutions in the lead up to the November 7 election, allowing members and office bearers to become party members and even candidates.
Active in Mandalay’s business community for more than 30 years, U Ko Gyi is turning his attention to politics by running for election to the Pyithu Hluttaw in Aungmyaythazan as a Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) candidate.
Political lightweights or potential instigators of economic reform? That’s the question many voters and analysts are pondering with one month to go until November 7, when more than 30 prominent business identities will stand for election.
A group of entrepreneurs is attempting to bring election candidates in Mandalay Region’s Pyigyitagun township together for an event so that voters can learn more about their local candidates.
543 – October 4-10
Eligible voters who decide not to cast a ballot on November 7 are weakening the election chances of “democratic” parties, the National Democratic Force’s vice chairman said last week.
An independent candidate in Mandalay has adopted a novel approach to reach voters after missing out on the chance to canvass on state media with registered political parties.
Foreign Minister U Nyan Win told the United Nations last week that the military government was committed to a “free and fair” election, in a speech that criticised “interference in internal affairs and attempts to impose domination”.
With motorbikes, bicycles and pickup trucks, the 88 Generation Student Youths (Union of Myanmar) hit the streets of Mandalay last week for its third campaigning event in the upper Myanmar city in September.
It is the nation’s smallest constituency in terms of population – and the 681 eligible voters on Coco Island will have just a handful of options when voting on November 7.
“People think I’m a spy,” says U Chit Swe, a Democratic Party (Myanmar) candidate standing for election in the Mandalay Pyithu Hluttaw seat of Mahaaungmyay. “I shout about politics on the street all the time, and no one ever arrests me.”
Taunggyi-based Pa-O National Organisation (PNO) plans to establish a political stranglehold in the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone on November 7 before expanding its reach to other areas of the country in future elections, party officials said.
The Shan Nationals Democratic Party (SNDP) will expand campaigning into Kachin State this month, the group’s chairman says, after conducting activities throughout Shan State in September.
The Inn National Development Party has so far visited about 200 villages in the vicinity of Inle Lake on its six campaigning trips, a senior party official said last month.
More than 6000 in-carcerated people who are yet to stand trial will have the chance to vote in this year’s election, a senior Department of Corrections official based in Yangon said last week.
542 – September 27 - October 3
Canvassing speeches broadcast through state media got off to a rocky start last week, with at least one party forced to pass up the opportunity because of a lack of time to prepare.
The National Democratic Force (NDF) last week opened two branch offices in Mandalay as party leaders said they were planning to ramp up campaigning activities from the end of this month.
One of the leaders of a network of 15 independent candidates has called on voters to cast their ballot “boldly” on November 7.
An official from the Party for Democracy and Peace said last week the party expected “true democracy” could take 10 years to emerge but warned violence should not be used to accelerate the process.
An independent standing for election in a Nay Pyi Taw constituency said last week he was “certain to win” against candidates from the country’s two largest parties.
On the sandy flat of a volleyball court down a rutted laneway in Mingalardon township, a group of about 50 people sit on plastic chairs in the shade of towering Malaysian pedauk trees. A few hold video or digital stills cameras aloft, while the rest – mostly older males, wearing khamauks and wide-brimmed bamboo hats – watch the man standing in front of them intently.
Maintaining national unity will be the post-election government’s most significant challenge, a senior official from the National Unity Party (NUP) said last week at a celebration to mark the party’s 22nd anniversary.
The National Democratic Force (NDF) has established campaign committees at the regional level to overcome candidates’ lack of election experience, a senior official said last week.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been included on electoral rolls released on September 20 despite being under house arrest.
The daughter of General Aung San and leader of the deregistered National League for Democracy party was included on the list of voters in Shwe Taung Gyar 1 ward in Bahan township with the serial number 2833. Her National Registration Card number, date of birth, the names of her parents and her address were included on the electoral roll seen by The Myanmar Times.
541 – September 20-26
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been included on electoral rolls release on September 20 despite being under house arrest
The rejection of at least six prospective Hluttaw candidates and the withdrawal of several more last week dealt another blow to the election strength of several Yangon-based political parties.
In a small but tidy conference room in Bahan township’s Dagon Tower, an unlikely conversation took place last week. A middle-aged couple told a journalist about their dreams for building a “strong democratic force” in Myanmar – within the framework of the law.
Political parties last week welcomed a Union Election Commission announcement permitting them to “canvass for votes” on state radio and television.
Five political parties that contested the 1990 election – including the National League for Democracy – as well as five new parties were officially deregistered for failing to meet election law requirements, state media announced last week.
Cash-strapped parties in Rakhine State are devising plans to keep their campaigning expenses to a minimum, with some expecting to spend just one-tenth of the K10 million permitted under election laws.
After finishing her housework, the 45-year-old woman joins her family in front of the television for their nightly three-hour fix of South Korean drama serials.
The Democratic Party (Myanmar) and a group of eight independent candidates, including the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Dr Ba Maw, signed an alliance agreement last week ahead of the November 7 general election.
Voters in half of the 10 constituencies in Nay Pyi Taw will have just two parties to choose from at the November 7 election, the district election sub-commission revealed on September 13.
Eight people sit on a stage in a theatre that looks like a large wooden warehouse. The stage is filled with red decorations and hanging behind it are the red flags of the 88 Generation Student Youths (Union of Myanmar) and Union of Myanmar Federation of National Politics, which both feature the peacock – a potent symbol in Myanmar politics.
540 – September 13-19
Political parties were swinging into campaign mode last week as district election sub-commissions gave informal approval for candidates registered by the August 30 deadline.
Modern People Party was only able to register about one-third of the approximately 100 candidates it had hoped to field in the November 7 election, the party’s joint secretary general said last week.
Five members of the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association (MCEA) will contest the November 7 election as Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) candidates, the association announced last week.
Myanmar's first election in more than 20 years is just the “initial step” towards the “restoration of democracy”, a senior official from the Yangon-based Party for Democracy and Peace says.
Two independent candidates in this year’s election are to visit Bangladesh for advice on how to achieve success at the ballot box.
Myanmar Democracy Congress is set to be disbanded after the party failed to register the required three candidates for the November 7 election before the August 30 deadline.
539 – September 6-12
One of two major Rakhine political parties has announced it will not contest constituencies in the state capital Sittwe to avoid “social conflict”. U Myint Zaw, general secretary of the Rakhine State National Force, said the “unanimous” decision was in line with the party’s guiding philosophy of ensuring peace and stability in the region.
Our senior members of the Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association, including the association’s chairman, resigned late last month to participate in the November 7 election, an official told The Myanmar Times last week.
The chairman of the National Democratic Force has hit out at criticism that the party broke an informal agreement with other democratic groups to not field candidates in the same constituency at this year’s election.
The passing of the August 30 deadline to register candidates for this year’s general election has confirmed the massive challenge some parties are facing, both in terms of funding and candidate numbers.
538 – August 30 - September 5
“You, U Shwe Ohn, have transferred to next life at 6:12pm on the evening of August 20,” says the man standing in front of the prostrate body. “Therefore, our Union Democratic Party allows you to resign. As you are no longer connected to the party, you can go wherever you like.”
Democratic parties have not yet reached a formal alliance but said last week they had “consulted” before submitting candidate lists to the Union Election Commission to avoid fielding candidates against each other.
Parties were last week scrambling to organise candidates and registration fees ahead of the August 30 deadline.
National Democratic Force (NDF) opened its first branch office in Yangon at a ceremony on August 22 in North Okkalapa township.
The announcement that the country’s first general election in 20 years would take place on November 7 has boosted interest in the poll but parties say they are still worried about a low turnout on voting day.
Mandalay-based Wunthanu NLD (Union of Myanmar) will contest five constituencies at the November 7 general election, an official said last week.
Competition in the November 7 election is expected to be most intense in the race for seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw, particularly in the seven Bamar-dominated regions, party leaders said last week.
Leaders of a Kayin State-based political party say they hope participation in the November 7 election will help bring about an end to decades of ethnic conflict.
537 – August 23-29
Veteran politician U Shwe Ohn passed away on Friday evening, just 79 days before he was to take part in this year’s general election.
The acrid smell of betel nut permeates the atmosphere in the small office, which is crowded with about 150 people. Many of those gathered – mostly male and in their 30s and 40s – are dripping with water, and the monsoon rain hammers down on the gleaming corrugated iron roof.
The National Democratic Force (NDF) opened a new office in Mandalay on August 19 to drum up support ahead of the November 7 election.
Political parties are finalising candidate lists for the November 7 election to submit to the Union Election Commission before the August 30 deadline.
Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) opened more than 400 party offices across the country simultaneously on August 20, a senior official from the party’s Yangon Division branch said last week.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party cut the ribbon on their Mandalay headquarters on August 20 at a ceremony attended by U Phone Zaw Han and Dr Kyaw Myint.
536 – August 16-22
The government ended months of speculation last week when it announced that Myanmar’s first election in 20 years will be held on November 7.
Three political parties will fight it out for the majority of seats at the general election later this year, a veteran politician has predicted.
Sai Aik Paung is perhaps one of only a very few independent political figures in Myanmar who is confident of success in the country’s elections, scheduled for November 7.
A senior official from the Yangon-based Chin Progressive Party says a lack of political knowledge in remote areas of Chin State is hampering the party’s efforts to sign up members.
Taunggyi-based Pa-O National Organisation will contest at least three seats in the Shan State Hluttaw at this year’s election, said U Khun San Lwin, the party’s chairman.
531 – July 12-18
Prominent independent political parties aiming to contest this year’s election are likely to “cooperate” to improve their chances of success, party leaders have told The Myanmar Times.
Having the daughters of senior government ministers from the post-World War II parliamentary democracy era has given the Democratic Party (Myanmar) a significant advantage over its opponents, chairman U Thu Wai told The Myanmar Times last week.
A senior member of the National Democratic Force said last week the party had organised candidates in about 50 towns across the country and was optimistic that it would attract more when the party was officially registered.
529 – June 28 - July 4
The Union Kayin League plans to contest constituencies in four divisions and two states at this year’s election, a senior party official has announced.
The Union Election Commission on June 21 issued a directive instructing political parties on how to legally organise and campaign to sign up new party members, while at the same time avoid disturbing the public.
The clack-clack-clack of the typewriter echoes through the hallways of the high-ceilinged colonial building. Outside, staff diligently clean the large, leafy University Avenue compound, as vehicles come and go intermittently.
528 – June 21-27
The Wa National Unity Party plans to field candidates in four constituencies in Shan State at this year’s election, according to a senior party official.
The Modern People’s Party will seek to prevent private ownership of land if it wins seats in the Pyitaungsu Hluttaw, the party’s chairman said last week.
Senior members of the National Democratic Force will travel to Nay Pyi Taw this week to file an application to register as a political party, after the Union Election Commission gave the group permission to form a party on June 14.
Shan State-based ceasefire group the Kachin Defense Army (KDA) will not form a political party to contest this year’s election, the group’s chairman said last week.
521 – May 3-9
Prime Minister U Thein Sein is to head up a political party based on the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) that last week applied to register and contest a multi-party election scheduled for later this year.
At a press conference held on April 23, UDP (Union Democratic Party) chairman U Phyo Min Thein, a former student leader in 1988 who subsequently spent almost 15 years in jail, said, amongst other things, that international observers were needed to ensure a free and fair vote in the upcoming election.
505 – January 11-17
At The Myanmar Times we enter each year optimistic that Myanmar is making positive progress towards both democracy and development. Sometimes, with the benefit of hindsight, that optimism has been misplaced. Conflict escalates, or the economy stagnates. Some years are, inevitably, better than others.
The general election will keep Myanmar in the spotlight in 2010 after an eventful year that saw the US restart dialogue and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to 18 months detention
